The standing committee of BMC,which met for the second time to finalise and award the contract for the demolition of 35 illegal floors in the Campa Cola compound,has delayed approving the proposal. Members raised allegations of a nexus between civic officials and private builders.

The meeting Thursday was scheduled after Wednesdays meeting had to be adjourned,with corporators pushing for the regularisation of floors that fall within permissible floor space index (FSI) limits.

The said proposal,however,can be passed after three months if the committee does not reject it during this period. Also,the municipal commissioner has discretionary powers to award the contracts on his own.

BJP corporator Dilip Patel alleged that a civic official from the legal department was in collusion with a private builder,who stands to benefit from the demolition of the 35 illegal floors.

Patel claimed to have a video clip of a meeting between the unnamed civic official and the private builder. The civic official has been working on behalf of the builder in thwarting attempts by Campa Cola residents to regularise the floors. We will press for an inquiry, he said.

Corporators cutting across party lines agreed that external pressure was influencing proceedings in the administration related to the case. Congress corporator Asif Zakaria said,The residents have been cheated by builders who sold them the houses. The civic body should help the residents on

humanitarian grounds.

Samajwadi corporator from M-East ward,Rais Shaikh,said,A September 11 order from the Supreme Court had directed the residents to approach the authorities concerned to find legal provisions for regularisation. When the residents sought help,the civic body rejected the possibility of regularisation,citing that the Supreme Court had already made the decision.

With the deadline for demolition (November 11) nearing,the residents are desperately seeking a solution. Residents have planned to form a human chain at Marine Drive Friday.